Fall. It's been a beautiful Indian Summer with the exception of one "perfect storm" which I'm sure I'll talk about for years to come. While the fall season was great…it was almost perfect.

Before the storm the fishing was good to exceptional, everything was coming together. The storm was something else, something beyond normal. As September rolled over to October, tributaries that were a mere trickle, swelled to raging muddy torrents. Anadromous fish always follow the water when they can, leaving the main rivers to their spawning grounds. We lost a lot of fish to the tributaries. Fish moved back in but, the fishing could've been, well, perfect.

While it could've been perfect, it was still pretty damn good.

The last North fish we got to the dry, showing October colors.

Not sure if it was just me but, the colors of the changing leaves seemed more vivid this year.

While cute, this beav was not a welcome site. We had just risen a fish and were in the process of the routine and this giant beav swam through the pool. He was as pissed off as I was, invading his home pool, I understood as he got on his hind legs and made disturbing gestures and hard stares our way. We fruitlessly made casts at our fish, hope was lost for my client but I've had this happen before, right-fish-right time-doesn't-matter. Then he made a swim back across the pool towards us, slapping his tail with a loud "BOOM" time after time, needless to say hope was now lost on me.

No beav in sight, Hitoshi Matsuda from Japan finally gets it right and brings a bright Trinity hen to hand.

Beth Brunswick of the "fly-girls" with a bread & butter fish fro the Trinity.

Right hand wind, no problem. Andy Marx just cranking' one in.

Bruce Moore, killed the bobber and gave the fish a chance to show him what they could do. They did a lot for Bruce.

Eric White with another nice one, this was one of the hardest fights I've seen this year.

Down the side of a mountain and back again, Rick Davis with the reward. A perfect wild hen.

Every year is different and this was no exception, I saw some of the best steelheading I've ever seen and some of the toughest when it shouldn't have been. Getting humbled is a good thing now and again, makes one appreciate it even more when you have one of those days when you can do no wrong. None the less, these fish never cease to amaze.

This is a smattering of clips that I took throughout the summer, nothing fancy.

Thank you to all of those who came fishing with me this fall. Had a great time with all of you, except for the ones I didn't(you know who you are). Looking forward to this winter and seeing many of you again. Until then…

Rich

The days are growing shorter, as is the fall steelhead season. Soon, we'll be chomping at the bit for the first push of fresh winters. But until then, there are still plenty of opportunities at the last of the fall "freshies".

The best week of the year, the "fly girls"...

"The Queen" Anna-Lena with a better than nice Rogue hen.

Sandra with a great Rogue buck. Yes, she is wearing "the pearls".

It's had to believe another guide season has come and gone for me. Where have the years gone? I remember my very first guide day 8 years ago, I was a scared young kid and we didn't catch a thing. Much has changed since that first guide day, and so much has been learned.

The North Umpqua saw a great return this year, not sure what the actual count was but, the fishing showed that it was strong. Looking back, we typically saw multiple fish each day, of course there were some tough days in there to keep you humble. Some great fish were landed and some epic fish were lost...

After several hooked and lost, Brady Johnstone finally gets one to the beach.

Vincent Novits with his first North Umpqua steelhead. Vincent lost one of those epic fish the evening before, a fish that just crushed the fly and "tore the river up".

After a solid morning, my clients asked to watch me fish a run. I asked if they were sure because I was pretty certain there'd be a fish in this run. Of course when I told them that they said I had to prove it. There was a fish in there...

Brian Walker with a prehistoric creature that absolutely crushed an intruder.

It has been a little hectic the past month, a lot of travel from the North, Rogue, Trinity and the often overlooked Klamath. Dad, if you are reading this, yes I'm keeping the oil changed in the truck.

The Trinity has been a sweetheart. I think the Klamath/Trinity have the grabbiest steelhead on the planet. While any day spent on the river is special, the Trinity is especially for me. I just connect with the Trinity, can't really explain it better. It's kinda funny, and my clients can attest to it, when the fly is coming across through the goods, "right there, right THERE!". That phrase comes out of my mouth without even thinking about it, sometimes with an arm motion of a steelhead turning on the fly, I dunno, I'm a little crazy about this. I do this on every river I guide but, on the Trinity, the fish make me look pretty good, ha.

Arturo Budnik, back from Chile with a pretty wild hen that ripped. Probably one of the coolest fish of the year for me, she came out of the water less than a foot deep. This was one of 11 Arturo saw to his fly in two days. "It's the cheese" Arturo B… — Arturo Budnik, back from Chile with a pretty wild hen that ripped. Probably one of the coolest fish of the year for me, she came out of the water less than a foot deep. This was one of 11 Arturo saw to his fly in two days. "It's the cheese" Arturo Budnik.

Many thanks to everyone that came fishing this summer.

Rich & Bo